Utah… This is the Place
(Narration)
On January 4, 1896 Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state. In this program we are going to give you a musical history of this great land that we love. You can go anywhere… but there’s none that compare. This is the place!
SONG – Utah… This is the Place
When the pioneers arrived in Utah on July 24, 1847 there were five main tribes of Indians living here. They were the Utes, Paiutes, Gosiutes, Shoshones, and Navajos.
Today there are about 20,000 Native Americans who live in Utah. Two-thirds of these people live on reservations and the rest live in towns and cities throughout the state. They are a proud people and have done much to make Utah a better state in which to live.
SONG – Utah Indians
The first white people to explore Utah were a group of Spanish explorers who were trying to find a short cut between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Monterey, California. They were led by two Catholic priests, Father Escalante, and Father Dominguez (do men’gwaz). They left Santa Fe in July 1776 and during their expedition explored parts of Utah. They made maps of their travels through Utah which were a valuable resource to others who later explored this region.
SONG – First White Men in Utah
The next group of people to explore Utah were the FUR TRADERS AND TRAPPERS, known as the “Mountain Men”. They came to Utah looking for valuable beaver skins to supply the demand for tall beaver hats.
Among the trappers who came to Utah were Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Peter Skene Ogden, and Etienne Provost. Although many of these men couldn’t read or write very well, they were good at telling stories about the vast lands surrounding the Great Salt Lake. As these stories circulated back to settlements in the East, others became interested and were motivated to follow the mountain men’s trails westward.
SONG – Fur Traders and Trappers
By 1846, at least six wagon trains had made trails through Utah and yet none of these early travelers wanted to stop and settle in this barren desert, covered with sagebrush. They had heard that the fertile valley of California was only another 500 miles away.
However, this was just the kind of country the Mormons were looking for… a place no one else wanted. A place far away from others, where they could worship as they wanted without fear of persecution. Led by Brigham Young, a group of 143 men, 3 women, 2 children, 72 wagons, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen,19 cows, 17 dogs, and a few chickens arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. These courageous men and women blazed the trail for others across a desolate frontier. We’re grateful to our Utah Pioneers!
SONG – Utah Pioneers